People will want a full floor plan (overhead), with measurements of the kitchen and surrounding rooms before they can give you solid advice. My only comment right now is that those types of flooring transitions (done well) cost a lot. A. Lot.

Thanks Wisco! I don't have any floor plans with measurements but can do one tonight. If anyone has questions on measurements before then, please let me know.

At this point though, I'm just looking for thoughts on the ideas that I've outlined above.

I would put the sink under the window and. Get all your work area out of the passageway. mor fridge to left of window

I totally agree but the plumbing in this early 1950's house is in the concrete slab. Just to move the sink to that wall is over $5k.

1. You need a different contractor. Anyone who would discourage full overlay, or better yet, frameless, just doesn’t have the skills needed to deal with either.

2. See #1. 5K to move plumbing in a slab would need to be a lot bigger move than that.

3. See #1. A guy who can’t deal with full overlay cabinets would never be able to pull of a transition like that. The good news is those hokey expensive transitions never look good, so forget it anyway.

. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5332686/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractor-s-first-meeting

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2020/

I will await drawings with good numbers. One immediate thought is you need about 3” either side of fridge for doors to be able to open fully. So that wall won’t work quite yet. Before you start knocking down walls, rethink the layout. But I need measurements first. Bbl

My first red flag was the discouragement of full overlay cabinets because they are hard to install correctly. If those cant be installed correctly then nothing else will be either. My second thought is the fridge is in an odd location against the window and the overall layout of the kitchen isnt using the space wisely or effectively. Are you on a slab or do you have a crawl space? I would relocate the sink to under the window flanked by cabinets on either side and use that as my start point. At this point thats all I can add without the additional information you will be providing except to say what a sweet fur baby you have there!.

I agree, the layout is far from ideal. The frig is in an awkward spot right now, and you want to move it where the stove is and put the stove over there. Thats a terrible spot for a stove, right up against the wall. No room to move around well, and could even be a fire hazzard near the wall. Stove isnt in a great location right now, because, someone could come through that doorway and bump something that is cooking. If its at all possible, get the sink under that window, and move your stove and frig over to that other wall, where there is room, to actually use them safely. I would rather see a microwave on the counter somewhere, than see it above the stove. A nice hood vent would look much nicer. Your dog is gorgeous. :-))

The cabinets can not be like that above the stove. Where is the venting? Where is the fire extinguisher for when the cabinets catch fire? Bad idea! and I'm sure against code

The microwave vents out the roof (there's ducting in the cabinet). I honestly had no idea it was a fire hazard. That's where the stove was when we bought the house and I would've thought if it was a problem, it would have been flagged by the inspector (?). Thanks

I was talking about the sketch you posted. Are the cabinets supposed to be shorter with the microwave hanging underneath them? You just show the cabinets coming down long over the stove. That was my concern.